TfL Toilet Charges

Joanne McCartney: Further to my MQ 2019/0405 and subsequent meeting with TfL officers what progress has been made in ensuring all TfL toilets are free to use? I note that during the pandemic those TfL toilets that still required a charge were to be made free, if possible, to reduce the need for cash handling. Have charges now been scrapped at all TfL facilities and will these changes be made permanent?

The Mayor: The removal of charges for using London Underground (LU) toilets is a policy change and unrelated to the need to reduce cash handling during the pandemic. There are no plans to reinstate charging for LU toilets and work is currently underway to remove charging mechanisms and identify where new locks are required. This means that a charge is still in place at a very small number of stations in order to maintain access to the toilets. Surveys are underway at the stations which previously charged to determine the scope of work required.

Police Body Worn Video Footage

Navin Shah: A leaked report revealed that the Met decided not to routinely release Body Worn Video footage, due to examples of “poor communication, a lack of patience, [and] a lack of de-escalation before use of force is introduced”. Further on in this leaked report, a senior police officer states that releasing footage of this kind could “exacerbate not prevent ‘trial by social media’ and increase media interest in an incident.” Do you think this is appropriate, or do you think the Met has a responsibility to release this footage?

The Mayor: Releasing BWV footage into the public domain would be unlawful as would breach data protection legislation. To ensure the police act with transparency Community Monitoring Groups (CMGs) review footage to ensure stop and search is being conducted lawfully, professionally and proportionately.
Stop and search is a contentious tactic which, when done badly, can cause distrust between the community and police. This underlines the value of Body Worn Video (BWV) footage in ensuring transparency, accountability and learning. My recently published Action Plan for transparency, accountability and trust in policing focuses on enhanced scrutiny structures to ensure the police are held to account. It will also deliver improved training for officers with direct involvement from community members.

Transport Crime

Tony Devenish: Crime on TfL’s Bus and Tube networks had jumped by 30% in the year before Covid. It has fallen since the start of the pandemic but what do you intend to do to ensure this fall is permanent?

The Mayor: London’s public transport network remains a safe, low crime environment. Prior to the pandemic around eleven million passengers travelled every day on Transport for London’s (TfL) public transport network with very few of them ever experiencing or witnessing crime. Last year there were 10.5 crimes for every million passenger journeys on the network, with the majority of these being theft offences. The increase in crime before the coronavirus pandemic was primarily driven by an increase in theft and low-level violence and aggression between passengers at peak times, as well as TfL’s work to make it easier to report crime.
Concerted action was underway to deal with the highest volume crimes such as theft and low-level violence and this work will continue as more customers return to public transport. Working with TfL, the British Transport Police (BTP) and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) use a range of tactics including high visibility and covert patrols, joint operations with TfL, and engagement activity to keep staff and passengers safe.

Highways Consultations

Andrew Boff: How will Londoners with disabilities be consulted when you modify highways?

The Mayor: All Transport for London (TfL) consultation material can be reproduced in braille, easy read format, or large text to cater for individual disability needs.In 2019, TfL also trialled the use of tactile maps for its consultation on cycling and walking improvements between Lea Bridge & Dalston. This helped respondents with visual impairments to better understand the types of changes we were making to local roads.
In addition, every project that TfL takes forward is required to have an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA). This ensures that TfL looks at the impact of the scheme on anyone with protected characteristics, including disability. If that scheme is brought forward to public consultation, TfL uses the EqIA to help plan how it can best consult and engage with individuals or groups that would be most affected. All TfL consultations since March 2020 have followed this process, with EqIAs published on TfL’s consultation portal.

Brownhill Road/Torridon Road junction

Caroline Pidgeon: In answer to Question 2020/3251 you stated “The request for funding for the remainder of the financial year does include a request to fund schemes such as these and I hope that an agreement can be made with the Government to enable work on the design for improvements at this junction to complete.” As the new financial agreement does include funding for Healthy Streets please can you clarify when much needed improvements will now commence at this junction? Please also set out what other schemes under the Healthy Streets scheme which have been paused in 2020 will now commence, providing dates as to when this will occur.

The Mayor: I am very pleased that Transport for London has now secured a funding agreement with the Government and the Department for Transport for the latter half of this financial year. Whilst this funding does not meet the totality of the request which was made, it does enable the completion of schemes which were in construction and were paused during the first lockdown in March. Construction will restart on these schemes once internal authority processes are approved.
As funding was not confirmed until 31 October, works at the junction of Brownhill Road and Torridon Road will not start in this financial year. However, internal approvals have now been received and funding provided to recommence the design work.

Furlough fraud

Tony Devenish: How much of the estimated £3bn of furlough money (UK wide) has been obtained by fraud in London? Have the Met and City of London Police briefed you on ongoing activities to bring those responsible to justice? Please provide details either privately or in an appropriate briefing.

The Mayor: “Furlough Fraud” is defined as the exploitation of the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme and is the responsibility of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to both administer and enforce.
As such, the MPS does not keep information on the amount of this type of offending and is not currently investigating any allegations of this type at this time.

IA 16767 - Trams Management of Operational Risk Audit (7)

Keith Prince: If the RAIB, SNC Lavalin, Metropolitan Police, ORR and the Coroner were provided with copies of draft audit IA 16767, on what dates did this happen?

The Mayor: I refer you to my answer to Mayor’s Question 2020/4099

My Local Bobby

Peter Whittle: My Local Bobby (MLB) is a private company that puts former police officers on uniformed patrol in London. It charges as little at £50 a month per resident to dedicate an officer to local ‘microbeats’ (about three square miles) in London and stations officers from central London shopping locations to Woodford Green (where 139 residents pay to have their ‘bobby’, keep an eye out for crime). Employees are equipped with handcuffs, a body cam, a first aid kit and are trained to make citizens’ arrests. MLB is now pursuing private prosecutions of shoplifters, which the Metropolitan Police has apparently abandoned. Given that the Metropolitan Police has decided in my view to function as a ‘response only’ police force, it looks like My Local Bobby is going to be the future of policing in London. Does this Met welcome this development?

The Mayor: The Met has said that it will work with My Local Bobby in the most appropriate way to prevent and detect crime.
The "My Local Bobby" scheme should not be confused with real policing, the Met continues to deliver a quality service whilst dealing with unprecedented challenges and insufficient funding from national Government.

Bim’s Burgers, Ilford

Peter Whittle: I was disconcerted to learn of the involvement of the Metropolitan Police on 1 October 2020 in fining Bim’s Burgers of Ilford Lane £1,000 for allowing a customer to order a takeaway burger at exactly 10pm, which was served four minutes later. A spokesperson for the restaurant said that, given the customer had started placing the order ahead of the nightly curfew, staff believed serving them fell within the law. In a tweet, since deleted, the Redbridge branch of the Metropolitan Police wrote: ‘Bims Burger (sic), Ilford Lane breached Covid-19 restrictions by having one customer inside the premises waiting for his takeaway meal. On looking at his receipt he was served 10pm on the dot, and staff were not handing him his food until 10.04pm. The supervisor on shift was issued a business £1,000 FPN [fixed penalty notice] on behalf of the owner.’ I was disappointed to read this tweet. In my opinion, this is not the kind of policing Londoners want to see and given that there is a crisis of public confidence in the police in London, examples like this are unlikely to improve matters. Has the Metropolitan Police institutionally forgotten that vitally important component of policing – common sense?

The Mayor: This was an operational decision for the Met. Under the legislation in place on 1st October 2020, food and drink venues were required to close at 10pm. The MPS enforces the law. Throughout the pandemic the MPS has used the 4E’s approach (first engage, explain and encourage, then enforcement). At times when citizens of London have been making huge personal sacrifices, police officers have been on the streets dedicated to making sure we are playing our part in preventing the rise of infections, and this will continue.

IA 16767 - Trams Management of Operational Risk Audit (6)

Keith Prince: Can you confirm that TfL provided RAIB, SNC Lavalin, Metropolitan Police, ORR and the Coroner copies of draft audit IA 16767 and all communications and collected data associated with the suspended audit?

The Mayor: The RAIB were informed of the uncompleted audit in November 2016 shortly after the Sandilands tragedy and were sent a copy of the letter of engagement on 24 November 2016 and again on 1 February 2017. The RAIB did not request any further details regarding the audit.
The Coroner was provided with a copy of the terms of reference and the incomplete draft report on 1 July 2020.
SNC Lavalin were provided with the evidence that was obtained during the field work for IA 16 767 between November 2016 and Jan 2017. They were not provided with nor did they seek a copy of the incomplete draft report.
There is no record of the Metropolitan Police or ORR being informed of the audit

TfL Hotel Spending

Shaun Bailey: What is the total amount of money spent on flights and hotels by Transport for London each year including the 2015/16 year?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2020/4140.

Flights

Shaun Bailey: What is the cost of (1) flights, and (2) hotels for MPS officers for 2018/19 and 2019/20 to date. Please also break down the costs for the flights for each year by first class, business and economy.

The Mayor: Please see Mayor’s question 4745 for this information.

TfL Flights and Hotels

Shaun Bailey: What is the total amount of money TfL have spent on flights and hotels during the 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20 years?

The Mayor: As a public body organisation, Transport for London (TfL) is aware of the necessity to control and monitors its expenditure to ensure value for money. TfL will pay for all reasonable expenses incurred by employees wholly, necessarily and exclusively in the performance of their duties.
TfL’s staff are responsible for operating a world class transport network transporting millions of people around the capital each day. As a result of running a transport network on this scale, its staff sometimes have to travel across the UK, Europe, and the world to meet with suppliers as well as learning from and offering its expertise on running such a huge network to other world leading cities. Whilst staff take rail journeys wherever possible, some journeys require air travel. Air travel is only approved where the use of more sustainable modes of travel will incur excessive time, cost or logistical implications.
Flights
TfL has replied to this request for information from the period of May 2016-January 2020 (FOI-3211-1920) in line with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This information is available via the following link: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-3211-1920
As a result of a change in service provider, TfL does not hold information on flight expenditure prior to May 2016.
The information for the remaining 2019/20 year is shown in the table below:
Class
Expenditure
First
£1,003.20
Business
£259,216.24
Premium Economy
£177,000.68
Economy
£144,710.65
Other
£465.51
Total
£582,396.28
Hotels
TfL has replied to this request for information for the years 2015-February 2020 (FOI-3210-1920) in line with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This information is available via the following link: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-3210-1920
The updated figure for hotel expenditure in 2019/20 is £514,435.63

Long term policies to address maintenance issues facing London bridges and tunnels

Caroline Pidgeon: What steps are you taking to ensure that there are long term and strategic policies to ensure the maintenance and sustainable funding arrangements for all of London’s bridges and tunnels, irrespective of their current ownership? Are steps being taken to avoid the fiasco of Hammersmith Bridge being closed for so long being repeated again in regard to any other bridge or tunnel in London?

The Mayor: The full costs of repairing and renewing Transport for London’s (TfL’s) assets is included in its Long Term Capital Plan. Based upon this plan, TfL is working with the Government to identify and agree a sustainable funding solution for all London’s transport networks. These options will be looked as part of the Financial Sustainability Plan, which is currently in development and will be submitted to the Department for Transport mid-January 2021, as per the commitments of the most recent funding settlement with Government.
The overall sustained settlement TfL is developing includes a long term (25 year plus) strategy to provide safe and reliable bridges and tunnels on the TfL road network. This strategy is based on TfL’s latest asset condition data and assessments of degradation rates. TfL is also working with boroughs (through the London Bridges Engineering Group, LoBEG) to understand the long term investment needs for their bridges and tunnels. This information will be used to inform the TfL Financial Sustainability Plan being developed for January 2021.

TfL’s use of temporary employees paid through Personal Service Companies

Caroline Pidgeon: Please publish a table showing how many current temporary employees at Transport for London have been engaged via employment agencies and paid through Personal Service Companies for (a) less than 3 months, (b) 3 to 6 months, (c) 6 to 12 months, (d) 12 to 18 months, (e) 18 months to 2 years, (f) 2 to 3 years, (g) 3 to 4 years, (h) 4 to 5 years, (i) 5 to 6 years, (j) 6 to 7 years, (k) over seven years. Please also break down the figures for each time period showing how many employees in each category were paid (1) over £100,000 per year, (2) over £146,000 per year, and (3) over £200,000 per year.

The Mayor: The majority of agency workers at Transport for London (TfL) are engaged via their employment agency as PAYE workers. A small number of workers are engaged via employment agencies as Personal Service Companies (PSCs. This number has reduced by 83% since December 2015 when TfL had 1,945 PSC workers compared to 339 PSC workers in November 2020. Where it is necessary, TfL engages PSCs via agencies in specialist areas where there is a shortage of skills or where it is cost effective to do so.
Please see the attached table for the data requested.

Cost of Crossrail

Caroline Pidgeon: When will you be able to confirm the final construction costs of Crossrail?

The Mayor: In August 2020, Crossrail forecast the additional cost to complete the project as being up to £1.1bn above the Financing Package agreed in December 2018 (£450m more than the upper end of the range announced in November 2019).
On 1 December 2020 it was announced that the Mayor of London, Transport for London (TfL), the Department for Transport (DfT) and HM Treasury have confirmed an agreed funding and financing package for the final phase of the Crossrail project. Under the agreement the Greater London Authority will borrow up to £825 million from the DfT, which will be given to TfL as a grant for the purposes of the Crossrail project. TfL’s Commissioner has been clear that his intention is that there will be no further call on the funding identified by the outgoing Crossrail Board in August 2020.
Should the full £825 million be used the overall cost of Crossrail Central Section would be £15.789bn. The final cost including the Crossrail on Network Works (Network Rail) elements of the scheme would be £18.599bn.
Delivery of the Elizabeth line is now in its complex final stages. Much of the major infrastructure is nearing completion, which will allow for the railway to be fully tested at the earliest opportunity in 2021. Crossrail publishes outturn costs on Tier 1 contracts once they have concluded and reached commercial closure. The final construction costs will be available once the remaining Tier 1 construction contracts have commercially concluded.

Car scrappage scheme (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: How much of the £25 million budget for the car and motorcycle scheme to help low income and disabled Londoners has been allocated so far?

The Mayor: As of Monday 30 November 2020, Transport for London (TfL) had processed 3,124 Car and Motorcycle Scrappage Scheme payments, with a total value of £6,226,000. The total potential value of eligible applications received to date, including pending applications, is around £7,474,000.

Met Police Covid Funding Shortfall (1)

Unmesh Desai: What has the financial impact of the Coronavirus pandemic to the Met police been so far?

The Mayor: In the 2020/21 fiscal year the full year cost impact is anticipated to be c£50m. This is reduced by funding that has been received by the Home Office for PPE equipment of £9.9m and reimbursements relating to loss of income of c£7m so the net cost is expected to be c£34m.
There was £6.8m additional funding made available to the Met for Covid Enforcement and this is directly associated with the costs of this activity, it doesn’t offset the overall cost of Covid.
In addition to the above there were costs incurred in 2019/20 of £5.1m.

Addressing safety issues in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

Caroline Pidgeon: I have been contacted by a constituent who wishes to know whether TfL has any plans for a public information campaign to remind drivers to take extra care as many school age Londoners might be cycling or walking to school for the first time, especially due to the rapid roll-out of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and School Streets?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) has an extensive range of communications in place to help keep pedestrians and cyclists safe on our roads.
TfL continues to run the ‘Watch Your Speed’ advertising campaign encouraging drivers to slow down. Speed is the highest contributing factor in collisions on London’s roads, accounting for 37 per cent of all deaths and serious injuries. The campaign is currently live in posters across London and has been live throughout the introduction of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and Schools Streets. Additional radio advertising is planned for February 2021.
In addition TfL has plans to introduce a communications campaign in 2021 which addresses the acceptability and cultural apathy towards road danger. The communications will focus on the perpetrators of road danger, which includes drivers, and will aim to shift attitudes in order to encourage safe behaviours. (The completion of this work is subject to approval of funding ).
TfL does an extensive amount of work to educate pedestrians and cyclists on safe road behaviours, including children. All school children in London have access, via their schools, to safety information via its STARS (Sustainable Travel: Active. Responsible. Safe) programme, which includes a combination of on-line resources and live, interactive sessions delivered by the London Transport Museum on TfL’s behalf. Refreshed activity went live in August and is available to all London schools, targeting year 6 and year 7 pupils. TfL has also refreshed the materials that are made available to all nursery aged children, helping to establish safer walking and scooting behaviours at a very young age.
To support the safety of cyclists of all ages and abilities, TfL has introduced for the first time a series of online cycle training courses, covering four modules: ‘Get ready to ride’, ‘First time on the road’, ‘On the road again’ and ‘Cycling with children’. It has also created toolkits for all London boroughs, to ensure that they have what they need to communicate safe cycling behaviours and to encourage as many Londoners as possible to complete the online cycle skills course.
TfL’s own Healthy Streets Officers (HSO) are providing additional support. For example the HSO for Merton delivered a series of ‘School Street webinars’ for residents and parents and the HSO for Sutton and RBKC has been on site during School Street operating hours speaking directly to road users.

Increased mobility post-Covid and air quality (2)

Leonie Cooper: What is your assessment of how Londoners’ transport use will change post-Covid?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) has recently developed five scenarios for the future of travel in London post pandemic to 2030. These five scenarios are now being used to inform TfL’s medium- and longer-term plans. TfL are keeping emerging evidence under review as the pandemic progresses, this evidence will help identify the ‘direction of travel’ more clearly as time progresses.
While the scenarios represent a range of potential futures, all five are currently considered to be plausible – given the extent of present uncertainty about the longer-term implications of the pandemic – and in this way they ‘bound the envelope of uncertainty’ within which our planning must take place.
The five scenarios are summarised in Travel in London 13, published this month and available here: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/travel-in-london-reports.

Average distance between crossings on TfL roads

Caroline Russell: What is the average distance between pedestrian crossings using either a zebra or light-controlled crossing to give pedestrian priority on the Transport for London (TfL) road network?

The Mayor: Measuring the average distances between all crossings on the Transport for London (TfL) Road Network (TLRN) is not an exercise that TfL has conducted because this is not a relevant factor in the siting of a crossing. All crossings are assessed on the environment and needs at the location. The geographic data that TfL hold on crossings is not designed to produce these figures.
The distance between pedestrian crossings on the TLRN varies greatly between the different type of road and local environment. There is a greater density of crossings in areas of high footfall such as high streets and town centres, compared to high speed roads where footfall is lower. This means that the average distance over the whole network does not give a reasonable picture of the level of pedestrian crossing facilities.
TfL would be happy to speak with you to provide available information about pedestrian crossings on the TLRN and discuss any points or concerns you may have.
Supporting information for the MQ Team when reviewing
To do this request would require a bespoke data layer to be built and it would require several people and many hours of work to upload the data manually as it is not an automatic output from our systems. In light of the recent comms on certain MQs being progressed as FOIs we feel this would fall within that category. A middle ground is to offer a meeting which is more beneficial so we can target her specific areas of concern

Rape Prosecutions

Unmesh Desai: Has the Government discussed the introduction of targets for rape prosecutions with the Met?

The Mayor: The MPS has confirmed that their operational lead for this area has not been approached by the Government to discuss the introduction of targets for rape prosecutions.
I do know that the MPS has been working to establish their own performance measures to drive and monitor outcomes in this area.
We continue to strive for improvements in this important area. I have ensured that MOPAC and the London Victims’ Commissioner work closely with the MPS and the CPS around the monitoring of sexual offences throughout the criminal justice system. Their engagement with the Rape Review and forums such as the London Rape Gold Group allows for strategic and operational oversight of rape prosecutions which I continue to monitor closely.

60+ Oyster Card – Removal of travel ban during morning peak

Navin Shah: Thank you for your response to my question about, in my view, the discriminatory ban on use of 60+ Freedom Pass during morning peak hours. After months of this imposition by DfT there is no sign of the removal of this restriction. What steps are you taking to demand that the Government removes this condition forthwith? If the ban is not lifted when you are negotiating the next TfL funding can you give me assurance that you would lobby the DfT to lift this condition?

The Mayor: The funding settlement reached in October 2020 includes the condition that TfL and I commit to maintaining, as a continuing response to the coronavirus pandemic, the current temporary restrictions on both the over 60s and Freedom Pass holders during peak hours. I have highlighted the importance of these concessions and this will continue to be discussed with government, including in the context of funding support requirements for financial year 2021/22.

Public Perceptions Police (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: According to MOPAC’s own data, the percentage of people who know how to contact their local ward police officer has fallen significantly, from 41% in December 2014 to just 16% in June of this year. Do you agree that this is deeply concerning, and how are you working with the Met to address this?

The Mayor: The apparent drop in the percentage of people who know how to contact their local ward police officer can be mainly attributed to a change in the Public Attitude Survey methodology. The survey data is closely monitored by my Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime and this was most recently discussed with the Commissioner at a meeting of the Oversight Board.
I am not complacent though and have ensured a return to real neighbourhood policing putting Dedicated Ward officers into every neighbourhood.
The Met are developing an officer handbook to disseminate good practice in community engagement, including ensuring communities know how to contact their local police and feel informed about policing in their area, and have also developed their approach to using online platforms used by communities to quickly and effectively share information and crime advice.
There is still more to do, and to ensure there is a step change in public confidence I am working with communities and the Met Police to develop my new Action Plan to build trust and confidence, particularly amongst communities that historically have lower levels of confidence in the police. The Plan will be published in the coming weeks.

A24 (4)

Leonie Cooper: Have you received any correspondence from residents of Merton about the A24 and if so, how many emails/letters have you received? How much has been negative, how much positive?

The Mayor: Please refer to my answer to 2020/4399.

Out of Court Dispersal Orders

Unmesh Desai: Why have the number of out of court dispersals doubled between Quarter 3 2019/20 and Quarter 4 2020/21?

The Mayor: Out of court disposals recorded by the MPS (Cannabis/Khat Warnings, Cautions, Community Resolutions, and penalty notices for disorder) increased from 6,686 in Q3 to 19,436 in Q4 – with community resolutions accounting for the largest proportion of these out of court disposals – 62% in Q3 and 78% in Q4.
Out of court disposals were most frequently recorded for drugs offences, accounting for 78% of all out of court disposals in Q4. The particular increase during this period was due to how lockdown impacted on police deployment in a number of different ways. Most significantly this allowed police more time to update data recording the outcomes of out of court disposals in the period before the end of the financial year
Since this time, the number of recorded out of court disposals has fallen, but I will continue to monitor this to determine whether there is any longer-term trend in this area.

Uber Police Partnership Working

Andrew Boff: The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) claimed that its ability to tackle drug dealing, human trafficking and child sexual exploitation would be hindered if it Uber lost its license, what are you thoughts on this and do you welcomes Uber’s help in tackling crime in London?

The Mayor: The MPS uses relevant legislation to access data from providers such as Uber. If a provider were to leave the market and be replaced by a different provider there would be a transitionary period to manage as with any new provider. After this period however, it is not possible to say whether the data access arrangements with any hypothetical company or service which replaced Uber would be better or worse for tackling crime in London.

Removed or Refused TfL Junk Food Adverts

Andrew Boff: How many adverts have TfL refused to be shown or removed from the network as a result of the junk food advertising ban each month since the introduction of this policy?

The Mayor: Since the implementation of the advertising restrictions for products high in fat, sugar or salt, (HFSS) in February 2019, Transport for London (TfL) has declined 39 advertisements for food and/or non-alcoholic beverages and 26 advertisements which showed HFSS items incidentally.
Note that some advertisements will have been subsequently revised and accepted, but TfL’s data does not provide for that. TfL also accepted over 35,000 advertisements in total during this period.
The accompanying spreadsheet has a month by month breakdown of declined HFSS advertisements from February 2019 to November 2020.
In addition, TfL removed two campaigns from its estate because the products displayed were found not to comply with its HFSS restrictions. Both campaigns were posted as a result of human error. Please see MQ 2020/1497

Minimising the Risk of Public Disorder

Unmesh Desai: What action have you taken to minimise the risk of public disorder in London in recent months?

The Mayor: The past few months have presented massive challenges to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). This includes the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and dealing with largescale gatherings during this time such as protests and unlicensed music events. Each time the MPS has had to react quickly in order to make sure that large gatherings and protests are within the regulations and they are policed appropriately.
Largescale gatherings in recent months have been policed in line with the regulations to minimise the risk of public disorder. Currently, government legislation restricts gatherings of more than 30 people. Certain exemptions apply, including for bodies such as a political body, business or a charity who have carried out a full risk assessment and taken all reasonable measures to limit the transmission of the virus. Largescale gatherings which do not adhere with the legislation will be asked to disperse by the police using the National 4E’s (engage, encourage, explain, enforce). As a last resort, if they do not comply, the crowds will be forcibly dispersed.

TFL Taxi & PH financial positions for accounting periods 2018/19 & 2019/20

Keith Prince: Despite the Mayor claiming this was a ‘priority’ in his answer to question 2020/2692, there remains no publication of TfL Taxi & PH financial positions for accounting periods 2018/19 & 2019/20. When will this issue be rectified?

The Mayor: These documents have been published on Transport for London’s website and can be viewed via the following links:
http://content.tfl.gov.uk/tph-financial-summary-18-19.pdf
http://content.tfl.gov.uk/tph-financial-summary-19-20.pdf

First Group TOL’s Cooperation with TFL on Tram Safety (1)

Keith Prince: In your response to Question 2020/0023 you posted a 27 July 2017 email from Robert Kemp (HSE & Technical Senior Audit Manager, Crossrail Head of Audit) to Mike Shirbon (Internal Audit) which, inter alia, states: “the audit [IA 17880) was marred throughout by a grudging lack of co-operation. Not downright refusal, but an obvious lack of engagement, and sometimes obfuscation.”

Was your Deputy Mayor for Transport aware of the contents of this email when she testified in front of the London Assembly on 11 September 2019 with “but having looked at a lot of the documents myself, as you would expect, speaking to senior members of staff at TfL about exactly what has happened, I am confident that a further independent investigation into this is not required.”?

The Mayor: No, my Deputy Mayor would not have been aware of this email.The reported approach by TOL to the audit is not acceptable. However that does not alter my view. I refer you to my answers to Mayor’s Questions 2020/4093, 4094 and 4095. I am still unclear what the purpose would be of a further investigation, particularly as the RAIB carried out a thorough investigation into Sandilands, including forming an independent view on the issue.
The RAIB dealt specifically with audit report 17 780 in an addendum stating that the RAIB’s review of the Transport for London (TfL) audit report identified no evidence of additional factors, beyond those already discussed in their report, which are likely to have contributed to the accident at Sandilands junction. However, the RAIB observes that the conclusions of the TfL audit are consistent with its own finding that, at the time of the accident, TOL’s management of fatigue risk was not in line with published industry practice, and that there was significant scope for improvement.

MPS flights and hotels

Shaun Bailey: What is the total amount of money spent by MPS on flights and hotels for each year since 2015/16?

The Mayor: See Tables (1) & (2) below:
(1) Total cost of flights per year since 2015/16:
Period
Flight Total Cost (£)
1 Apr 2015 - 31 Mar 2016
£2,776,000
1 Apr 2016 – 31 Mar 2017
£3,471,000
1 Apr 2017 – 31 Mar 2018
£3,420,000
1 Apr 2018 – 31 Mar 2019
£4,620,000
1 Apr 2019 – 31 Mar 2020
£2,961,000
1 Apr 2020 – 30 Sept 2020
£119,000

(2) Total cost of hotels per year since 2015/16: Period
Hotel Total Cost (£)
1 April 2015 – 31 Mar 2016
£763,199
1 April 2016 – 31 Mar 2017
£1,119,410
1 April 2017 – 31 Mar 2018
£1,635,784
1 April 2018 – 31 Mar 2019
£2,026,105
1 April 2019 – 31 Mar 2020
£933,560.72
1 April 2020 – 30 Sept 2020
£244,166

TfL Capital Projects

Shaun Bailey: Please provide further details of the 300 major capital projects that TFL has paused? How long have they been paused for?

The Mayor: On 24 March 2020, I supported the Government when it gave clear instructions to the country asking us to stay safe and to stop travelling, with the exception of key workers who had to make absolutely essential journeys. In line with this, Transport for London (TfL) brought all project sites to a temporary Safe Stop unless they needed to continue for operational safety reasons.
This was done to ensure the safety of TfL’s construction and project teams and also to further reduce the number of people travelling on the public transport network.
In total, works at around 310 sites were temporarily suspended.
In line with the Government’s easing of lockdown measures in early May, work on TfL construction projects resumed. Projects vital to supporting jobs and homes, or providing essential transport infrastructure, across the capital, have been restarted since then on a phased basis with sites being prepared to accommodate social distancing as needed.
All sites have a reduced number of people working at any one time, with some sites having an additional Site Supervisor to ensure social distancing is maintained. At the present time of writing, the majority have now restarted.Construction on 57 of these sites has been completed with 19 still on-hold pending funding approval (details of which can be viewed in the accompanying spreadsheet). Work on site for all of TfL’s major projects has restarted.

Increased mobility post-Covid and air quality (1)

Leonie Cooper: A recent survey found that 20% of people in the UK intend to drive more in 20211. Are you concerned about this and what do the air quality figures for 2020 show?

1The Guardian, ‘People plan to drive more post-Covid, climate poll shows’ [Date accessed 24.11.2020]

The Mayor: A car-based recovery with increased traffic levels would prevent Transport for London (TfL) and boroughs from providing enough space for pedestrians, cyclists and those waiting to access public transport to social distance safely. It would also pose significant risks in terms of safety and public health, economic recovery and the environment including air quality.
Road transport is the biggest source of air pollution in London and I’m committed to cleaning up London’s polluted air. My Transport Strategy encourages Londoners to switch to walking, cycling and public transport wherever possible. As part of the emergency response to the pandemic, I’m implementing my Streetspace for London programme to enable Londoners to travel safely and help to avoid a car-based recovery from the pandemic.
Together with the London boroughs, TfL is monitoring and evaluating the impacts of the Streetspace for London programme including the changes in air quality over time. These early impacts are set out in Travel in London 13, published this month and available here: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/travel-in-london-reports.

Community Monitoring Groups Recommencing Viewing of Body Worn Video Footage

Caroline Pidgeon: I am pleased that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime has confirmed that Community Monitoring Groups will finally recommence viewing sessions of Body Worn Video footage. Please provide the timeline for this being re-introduced.

The Mayor: Enabling Community Monitoring Groups (CMGs) to review Body Worn Video (BWV) as part of local scrutiny is essential to ensuring transparency and building community trust and confidence in the police.
The arrangements for quarterly BWV review sessions are being made locally with CMGs and the process began in early October 2020. A number of CMGs have already conducted a review session and have provided feedback to their local officers and communities. The MPS is committed to the ongoing support of BWV scrutiny with a focus on transparency and accountability.

Coronavirus and Mental Health (2)

David Kurten: What is the Metropolitan Police doing to reduce the risk of homicide by mentally ill persons during a time of restricted mental health service operation?

The Mayor: The MPS recognises the increased risk to mental wellbeing during the pandemic owing to a range of factors including isolation and uncertainty. That said, the MPS has not experienced any significant rises in policing demand linked to mental ill-health and a similar picture has emerged across other forces in England and Wales.
The key to managing risk of harm through mental health is having good community treatment and good crisis care. The MPS continues to work strategically with its partners in Health through the Healthy London Partnership and locally with Mental Health Trusts, through its BCU Mental Health Teams to mitigate against any risks associated with changes to NHS work practices. SIM London - a preventative model where mental health nurses and police officers work together with high frequency, high intensity users - has continued through the pandemic. The MPS continues unabated to support community assessments for high risk cases.
Otherwise, our intelligence processes continue to monitor and mitigate against risk and threat of harm from any individuals, including those who are mentally unwell. The MPS has been working closely with the CPS to ensure that protocols for charging thresholds for mental health are adhered to.

Tube Train CCTV

Shaun Bailey: How many Tube trains are there on each line? How many of these have been fitted with CCTV cameras?

The Mayor: Please find the number of Tube trains on each line below:
Bakerloo- 36
Central – 85
Circle, District, Hammersmith & City – 133
Jubilee – 63
Metropolitan – 59
Northern - 106
Piccadilly - 86
Victoria - 47
Waterloo & City - 5
All trains operating on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern, Victoria and Waterloo & City lines have been fitted with CCTV.
On the Central line on-train CCTV is planned to be installed as part of Transport for London’s (TfL’s) Central line Improvement Programme (CLIP). The CLIP is a major investment programme to make all 85 Central line trains safer, more reliable and wheelchair accessible.
The Piccadilly line fleet will be replaced by new trains which will have CCTV, with current estimates indicating the first of these trains will be serving customers by mid 2020s.
The Bakerloo line is TfL’s oldest train stock and can’t accommodate a CCTV system as there is insufficient power. This is one more reason why TfL urgently needs steady and sustained investment to upgrade these trains to enable this to happen.

Covid policing resource implications (2)

Unmesh Desai: Will you ensure that the additional steps that have been taken during the pandemic to address the challenges of an increased level of domestic abuse will be sustained?

The Mayor: Reduced demand for Met Officer presence at non-domestic abuse offences during the initial lockdown resulted in a swifter response rate for DA (domestic abuse) and increased arrest rates. With demand returning, it will not be possible to sustain the same speed of response. Addressing DA remains a priority for me and the Met is fully committed to supporting victims of domestic abuse and bringing offenders to justice.
To proactively sustain the focus on DA, the Met has outlined seven areas of operational focus for the next 12 months (for example, arrest activity and Right to Know 'Clare’s Law’ disclosures). Each BCU will have a Tactical Plan and a DA champion appointed locally to drive activity.
In response to the restrictions, my £1.5m investment in additional emergency accommodation for Londoners fleeing DA has been extended over winter. We intend to extend this provision even further in light of new Government funding.

Dispersal Orders and Public Space Protection Orders

Andrew Dismore: Please set out by borough how many Dispersal Orders and Public Space Protection Orders have been made so far this year?

The Mayor: The table below details information reports created 1st January to 30th November 2020 which were flagged as “Dispersal Authority.” The MPS informs me that the addition of the flag on an information report is not mandatory and therefore the number shown below is not an accurate reflection of numbers of dispersal authorities in the MPS, but reflects those reports where the flag was used.
The borough in which the authority was granted is assigned from a drop-down list. However, it is possible that a dispersal authority may cover more than one borough (for example if it is near a boundary) but the system is unable to capture this for extraction purposes.
Borough
Authority to disperse
Barking and Dagenham
31
Barnet
6
Bexley
5
Brent
36
Bromley
8
Camden
40
Westminster
21
Croydon
9
Ealing
10
Enfield
4
Greenwich
4
Hackney
62
Hammersmith and Fulham
2
Haringey
7
Harrow
3
Havering
74
Hillingdon
1
Hounslow
4
Islington
15
Kensington and Chelsea
13
Kingston Upon Thames
2
Lambeth
61
Lewisham
6
Merton
3
Newham
33
Redbridge
9
Richmond Upon Thames
5
Royal Parks
4
Southwark
49
Sutton
2
Tower Hamlets
21
Waltham Forest
37
Wandsworth
2
MPS
589

Public Perceptions Police (3)

Caroline Pidgeon: MOPAC data shows that in December 2014 49% of individuals felt well informed about police activities in their area over the last 12-months, compared to just 38% in June of this year. How are you working with the Met to address this worrying trend?

The Mayor: Please see answer to 3279

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) at COP26

Siân Berry: Will the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) be the lead force at COP26?

The Mayor: Police Scotland is the lead police service for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). It will be supported by mutual aid from police services across England and Wales.

Free Travel for Under 18s

Murad Qureshi: How much does TfL spend annually on free travel for the under 18s going to school principally?

The Mayor: As you know, the free travel concession for under 18s permits free travel at all times, not just to and from school.
This makes it difficult to determine the actual costs. Transport for London reports in the 2019 Business Plan for 2020/21 to 2024/25, that the estimated revenue foregone in 2018/19 was around £170m. Given the recent changes we have seen in travel behaviour, with more children walking and cycling to school, I expect the estimated notional revenue foregone this year – and in future years - to be less. In practice, if this free travel was not available, much of the cost would still be incurred by the Boroughs to provide free travel to eligible children according to national statute. There would also be an additional cost to administering a scheme requiring assessment of eligibility on a case by case basis.

Money Laundering 2 in London Update

Murad Qureshi: How many Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWO) have been issued in London and how many properties have been seized as a result? How many of the Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWO) were issued on Political Exposed Persons (PEPs) from around the world?

The Mayor: Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) form just one part of a range of civil powers afforded to law enforcement by the Proceeds of Crime Act. For the period April to October 2020 the MPS secured £31,933,955 of initial cash seizures and £18,015,903 in Account Freezing Orders. Whilst some agencies have had success with UWOs there are challenges associated with this legislation. For this reason, the MPS look to alternative tools to recover assets from serious organised criminals.

Car Clubs

Keith Prince: What evidence is there that you have supported car clubs during your Mayoralty?

The Mayor: Car clubs can enable Londoners to drive less when delivered as part of a wider package of measures to reduce car use and this is reflected in my Transport Strategy.
The promotion of car clubs by Transport for London (TfL) is primarily tied to activities surrounding the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone, which in itself will encourage Londoners who own a non-compliant car to consider alternatives, including car clubs. TfL has a webpage dedicated to car clubs which explains their benefits and links to CoMo UK, which represents car club operators. TfL is promoting car clubs as an alternative to private car ownership in ULEZ expansion communication material and is advertising offers from car clubs for Londoners benefitting from the ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme.
TfL also works closely with London Councils to promote a more consistent approach to car clubs across London boroughs, both through a new framework for data collection and work seeking to simplify procurement processes. This includes financial support from TfL.
TfL and London boroughs also continue to roll out electric vehicle charging points at pace, which car clubs rely on to run their growing fleet of electric car club vehicles.

A24 (2)

Leonie Cooper: Have you had any negative correspondence about the A24 from Merton Councillors and if so, how many emails or letters?

The Mayor: In June 2020, Transport for London (TfL) set up the email address [emailprotected] to manage correspondence from the public and other stakeholders on its Streetspace schemes. Since then, TfL has received two emails from Merton Councillors. Both outlined concerns with an element of the temporary changes made to the A24 in Colliers Wood. In addition, the single point of contact in the Local Communities and Partnerships team has received two emails on a similar theme.

A24 (3)

Leonie Cooper: Have you received any correspondence from residents of Wandsworth about the A24 and if so, how many emails/letters have you received? How much has been negative, how much positive?

The Mayor: In June 2020, Transport for London established the email address [emailprotected] for correspondence from the public and other stakeholders. People very rarely provide a post code when emailing, so there is no way to identify respondents who might be residents of a particular Borough.
There have been 1,488 emails to [emailprotected] about the temporary changes to the A24 between Balham and Colliers Wood. Of these, 228 emails were supportive of the changes.

Parliament Square arrests and convictions (2)

Siân Berry: Thank you for your answer to my question 2016/1955. Could you provide an update to this data showing how many protestors on Parliament Square have been: a) arrested b) had charges brought against them, and if available now c) been convicted during each of the years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 (to date).

The Mayor: Data on the number of arrests with Parliament Square mentioned in the "Place of Arrest" field on the relevant Custody Record, with the First Arrest Offence dating between January 2016 and October 2020 is attached. The MPS does not hold data on charges and convictions.

Stop and Search Community Monitoring Group reviews of body worn video (3)

Siân Berry: Despite repeated requests from the community and members of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee that Community Monitoring Groups are allowed to resume their viewing of body-worn video footage captured by Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers during stop and search this has not yet happened. You recently said in response to MQ 2020/2836: “there is no legal pathway to routinely release footage except for exceptional circumstances.”
With no public scrutiny of this footage for some time now, how can your claim that body-worn video is: “the biggest game changer in ensuring the human rights of all people are protected... Human rights are best protected by openness and transparency, effective oversight and a commitment to learn,” still be true? What are your plans to make this footage available for appropriate scrutiny by Assembly Members, Community Monitoring Groups and other public oversight bodies in line with the wishes of the Home Secretary?

The Mayor: Providing community groups with access to BWV is essential in upholding trust and working towards increased levels of transparency.
In early 2020, the MPS and MOPAC convened a working group that included Community Monitoring Group (CMG) chairs to consider the options to mitigate the privacy concerns and identify a proportionate way forward. Having considered several alternatives, including for example, using fully redacted BWV footage, the MPS has agreed that the sessions would be reinstated with safeguards in place to mitigate the impact on personal privacy.
Some CMGs have already taken part in these sessions and have provided feedback to their local officers and communities. The MPS is committed to the ongoing support of BWV scrutiny with a focus on transparency and accountability.

Data sharing between UBER and the Metropolitan Police Service

Siân Berry: Uber has confirmed, in an article in The Times on 18 September 2020, titled ‘Uber gives police private data on drivers and passengers’, that it responds to over 2,000 requests for information per year from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). What kinds of information and data does the MPS request and collect from Uber on drivers and passengers, how long is this information and data stored, and which agencies have access to it?

The Mayor: Like any other company or communications provider, Uber collects information about its customers. Some of this information is Communications Data (as defined by the Investigatory Powers Act) and some of it will be general information about the services they provide (as defined by the Data Protection Act). In accordance with the Investigatory Powers Act, the MPS requests information where it is necessary and justified to prevent and detect serious crime. In relation to the retention of this data – this is also governed in accordance with legislation and is no different to information or evidence the MPS collects from anywhere else.

Deferred sentences for young people

Joanne McCartney: Further to my Mayor’s Question 2018/1631 when you stated that the Metropolitan Police Service were undertaking two pilots of deferred prosecutions, what were the results of the pilots and will there be a continuation of deferred prosecutions?

The Mayor: The Metropolitan Police Service is now piloting one deferred prosecutions pilot, Turning Point, which covers three London boroughs - Brent, Harrow and Barnet. Deferred prosecutions involve giving a suspect an opportunity to enter into a contract with specific conditions, which if met mean the prosecution will not be proceeded with. Conditions may include accessing support services.
The pilot is ongoing and will run until early 2022. So far, over 300 people have been referred into the scheme. An evaluation of Turning Point is being completed by the University of Cambridge, which will inform the decision on wider roll-out of the scheme

A24 (1)

Leonie Cooper: Have you had any negative correspondence about the A24 from Wandsworth Councillors and if so, how many emails or letters?

The Mayor: In June 2020, Transport for London (TfL) set up the email address [emailprotected] to manage correspondence from the public and other stakeholders on Streetspace schemes. Since then, TfL has received 16 emails from Wandsworth councillors about the scheme on the A24. These have either raised concerns with the temporary changes or been neutral (for example by passing on correspondence from constituents). We also received four emails to the project communications lead from Wandsworth councillors; of these two were neutral and two negative. In addition, the single point of contact within the Local Communities & Partnerships team has received 35 dedicated emails, which expressed similar sentiments.

Criminal Justice delays

Joanne McCartney: There is a backlog of criminal cases awaiting a court date, made worse by difficulties during the pandemic. What has this meant for (1) victims of crime in London, (2) the availability of witnesses and (3) defendants? What representations have you made for proper investment in our criminal justice system and for trial dates to be speeded up?

The Mayor: This is a national crisis. The pandemic has exacerbated the backlogs in the already inefficient criminal justice system. The impact has been felt most acutely in the Crown Courts, with many victims having to wait even longer for their cases to be heard which can trigger or perpetuate other social and emotional issues they are facing.
I have written directly to the Justice Minister on two occasions to escalate concerns regarding the court backlogs and the inadequacy of the resources invested from central government to address this. I have called for urgent investment and targeted resources in London to increase capacity of the court estate and enable the most serious cases awaiting trial to be heard promptly. I have also reflected these calls for investment in City Hall’s response to the government spending review, urging for better and more sustainable investment in services for victims and was pleased to see an uplift in budgets for this financial year focussed on supporting victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
In addition to lobbying, effective governance arrangements have been put in place in London via the London Crime Reduction Board and London Criminal Justice Board to ensure oversight of the court backlog and drive effective action to tackle it. Actions taken include the use of Video Remand Hearings in the MPS custody estate, the early roll out of S.28 to London Courts and the introduction of two Blackstone (nightingale) courts.
While increasing the capacity across the court estate is a priority, it is also paramount that the right support is being offered to victims and witnesses to support them in coping with the continued uncertainty. MOPAC has been working closely with CJS partners and support agencies such as the London Victim and Witness Service to grip this issue by ensuring practical and emotional support is being offered to all victims and witnesses awaiting trial. The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Sophie Linden has also convened a forum at a senior level, bringing together the CJS and frontline support agencies to ensure these issues continue to be effectively gripped, setting actions to address concerns when necessary.